VISUAL LANGUAGE end of module evaluation

Tuesday, 15 April 2014

End of module evaluation

Leeds College of Art BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION	Level	04
OUIL404 Visual Language	Credits	20
End of Module Self Evaluation

NAME	Rebecca Williamson

1.  Which practical skills and methodologies have you developed within this module and how effectively do you think you are employing them within your own practice?
Due to the different tasks we have been set during this module I have learnt to focus on a number of different skills. Though, at times it was difficult to just use one method/media and develop a effective technique, it has made me realise the importance of each, and think of different ways to use it. For example, the line, mark task, I initially would have just used line to draw detail sketches, however as we had to use a number of tools for this task it pushed me to use line differently as I could not achieve detail with thicker tool, therefore I attained different results that I would not of created otherwise. thin line tool  thick line tool   From this task and contextual reference I have come across a method/style that really interests me, the combination of thick and thin lines which exaggerates its depth, highlighted areas and shadow areas. contextual reference  eg or experimenting with this technique in visual language task   I have focused on this technique in the collage task and I have also started to use in it other modules (OUIL406 person of note) Add images of eg using the method in other modules(OUIL406)
2. Which principles/ theories of image making have you found most valuableduring this module and how effectively do you think you are employing these within your own practice? You will make bad drawings – bad drawings are good drawings In this module I have produced a number of drawings including drawings I have hated, however this has been a massive learning curve, though I do not like some pieces, it has made me evaluate my work and realise where I went wrong, why I did not like them, and how I can improve –by exhaustedly drawing the same subject or using the same media. This has led me to create more unique work that has a well thought out and testing quality. In the past, I if I have produced something I do not like, I have not used it, I have simply thrown it away and started again which has made me only produce safe work, using medias and techniques i know will work, this stopped me from developing my skills and improving. Another thing this module had taught me is to appreciate medias. Before this course, i would only tend to use one media per piece, yet I sometimes found the results to be too samey, lack originality and visual interest. However, since learning/seeing other illustrators work, I have recognised how mixing media can be used effectively. In conjunction to this, matt has encouraged me each week/task move away from my comfort zone and combine medias/method I perhaps would not normally use. One example of this Is in the shape task we were given, I initially stated off by using blocks of collage shape to create work- I was not happy with the outcomes, therefore to recapture my interest I played around with combining detailed pen work, (as this is what I enjoy doing) to make the illustration more diverse.  not entering happy with just collage -started to add a little it of pen to kiwi developed on adding more pen - liked this combination I really liked the outcome of both medias and have since developed this technique further, and have refined and used it in final pieces for other modules (OUIL405 book) using technique in other modules(OUIL405)
3. What strengths can you identify within your Visual Language submission you capitalise on these? I feel one strength in my body of work is the progression of a technique/s from one task through to another. though at the start I didn’t develop on a style/technique for a why, I feel when I finally found my way and found a strong enough style i stuck with it, adding and developed it though other tasks. Eg the combination of collage material and drawing, I took this idea thought the shape and texture, collage and colour tasks. I feel I have improved on my ability to venture out of my comfort zone, and use things I perhaps would not of. one example of this is on the collage task where I was working off a image of a girl with  flowers in her hair, I began by using different shaped and colour paper for my collage material, however to develop on this I began to think literal and decided to use actual flowers in the hope this would give the illustration more realism and a stronger sense of depth and diversity.
4. What areas for development can you identify within your Visual Language submission and how will you address these in the future? At the very start of the module when we had to pick a subject matter to focus on for each task I chose fruit and vegetables, as I wanted to concentration on something other than the human form. I did this because I thought it would improve my skills and move me away from my comfort zone, however as the tasks went on, I realised we had to stay with the same subject, unfortunately I quickly lost interest and lacked innovation when trying to think of new things to draw, because I wasn’t interesting in the subject matter after a while, it made it difficult to enjoy as I felt the work I created was not good or exciting, though I was doing the work asked of me, I wasn’t learning anything from it or creating work I was enthusiastic about. When changing the subject matter towards the end I feel my quality of work got better and I began to improve and come across new styles. In further I need to understand where my strengths lie, and make sure when choosing a subject matter I have a number of pathways to go down that maintain my interest. Towards the start I concentrated more on the number of sketches I needed to create rather then the learning process behind as I was worried I would not get them all done if I spent to much time on one. Over time I realised I was making it harder for myself to think of new ideas/drawings and was not improving my skills- I was just creating the same sort of drawing but using difference reference material. I realised the main aim from these tasks were to ‘play’ and exhaust a drawing until I found a style that really interest me and was effective. This is something I will make sure I carry on doing.
5. In what way has this module informed how you deconstruct and analyse artwork (whether your own or that of contemporary practitioners)? This module has gradually improved the way I look at other artist work, especially since we have been deconstructed illustrations in class. Though before I felt I was able to deconstruct a image well, this module has taught me words which I can apply to certain effects and processes used, such as depth background,midground, foreground, line of sight, composition etc. The presentations we have been shown and the hand-outs, have informed me of how effective these processes can be by showing us pieces which have not considered them and ones that have (able to see how much more visually interesting they make the piece) I feel that I myself now unconsciously think about these processes when creating work.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’)  5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance			x
Punctuality				X
Motivation		x
Commitment			x
Quantity of work produced			x
Quality of work produced			x
Contribution to the group				X
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self-evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.